


homecoming

by distractionpie



Series: Sweethearts AU [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Drama, Fluff, Homecoming, M/M, Play Fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 07:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11100156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distractionpie/pseuds/distractionpie
Summary: Working title: Part II - Attack of the teenage hormonesSeeing Julian after a long summer break ought to be a good thing, but when they meet again Babe finds that things have changed in ways he's not sure he's equipped to handle.





	homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> because apparently my drabble idea turning into a full fledged fic wasn't enough, it also demanded a full length sequel i wrote in literally three days wtf.

#### 10 years later...

It’s too damn hot to move, so Babe is laying in the one spot in his bedroom that’s actually got a little shade, directly beneath the window. He’s working his way through a pack of salty peanuts and watching shitty youtube compilations of people falling over, when his door swings open and Bill’s voice calls out, “I heard you were sulking.”

Babe rolls his eyes. “Well you need to get your ears checked,” he says, as Bill dives onto his bed with a bounce of springs.

“Are you pining then?” Bill says. “Waiting at the window for your first love to return to you.”

Babe throws a peanut at him. “I’m not going to miss you when you’re back at college _at all_.”

“Awww… c’mon, you know you can tell me,” Bill teases and Babe rolls his eyes. Ten damn years and Bill still won’t let go of the fact that Babe had been a little overly excited to meet Julian back when he’d been the new kid at their school.

“I seem to recall you being the one who decided to send him a love note, even if you did sign it with my name,” Babe retorts.

“Only because you were too chicken to do it yourself,” Bill replies. “Now come out with me. Otherwise Julian’s gonna come back with stories of all the cool shit he’s been up to down south, and you’re gonna have to tell him you spent the whole summer moping.”

“I haven’t been moping,” Babe protests, levering himself up off the floor only because he knows that Bill won’t leave until he gets his away. But it has been a drag not having Julian around at all during the summer. They’d had such good plans before Julian’s parents had decided to ship him off – video game marathons and afternoons at the public pool – ten uninterrupted weeks of chilling before the stress of senior year. It was one thing to go visit family, it was another thing to be whisked away at the very start of the vacation with no exact return date except right before school started again. Why couldn’t Julian have a family like Babe’s, who all lived within five blocks, populated by so many cousins that nobody would notice if one was was missing anyway?

Bill makes for decent company, but he also spends a lot of time texting his college friends or dragging Babe along to hang out with his old high school buddies, who were cool and everything, but not close with Babe. Babe had ended up picking up a few shifts a week with his cousin’s construction business just to stave off the boredom, and he hadn’t even found any fun way to spend what he’d earned there.

He’d never thought he’d catch himself looking forward to school being back in session, but he’s so done with this summer.

*

Babe has never left so early for school in his life. Even as an incoming freshman he’d made it in the doors only minutes before the start of homeroom, because he walked with Bill and Bill had just laughed when Babe nervously tried to hurry him along.

Now he doesn’t have Bill to hamper him and he’s not stuck slowly walking anymore, so the yard is still virtually empty as he rolls in and chains his bike to the fence.

It’s a natural habit after that to walk over to tree he always meets Julian by, too far from any of the main buildings to be a popular hangout spot, too visible to attract the surreptitious smokers. He’s expecting to wait around for a while but as he draws nearer he sees a figure leaning up against the trunk already.

“Julian!” he calls, and the dark head jerks up.

It doesn’t take more than a second for Julian to cross the grass and wrap his arms around Babe with a whoop, and Babe hugs him back tightly, his fingers digging into Julian’s backpack a little. Julian is a warm, solid weight against his chest and Babe catches a hint of the familiar scents of apple shampoo and cheap body spray, mixed in with the smell he’s never been able to label but knows from the times he’s ended up having to wash his clothes at Julian’s is the laundry detergent his family uses.

 _Fuck,_ Bill might have been full of shit when he talked about pining, but Babe has missed him.

After a few moments Julian pulls back, putting enough distance between them that Babe can get a good look at him.

He’s tanned, his grandparents obviously not sharing his parents’ insistence upon the constant application of sunscreen, and Babe can see that the peach fuzz he used to grow has been replaced by the faintest hint of dark stubble shading the long lines of his jaw, making him look like he’s aged far more than just a few weeks.

He looks _good_ Babe realises with an uncomfortable jolt, then hurriedly pushes the thought from his mind. He’s been spending too much time listening to Bill’s teasing, that's all.

“Good to see you buddy,” he greets.

“You too,” Julian says, and then looks Babe up and down. “Jeez, they put something in the water while I was away? You’ve got... well...”

Babe laughs. “Yeah, my mom says I’ve gotta quit it with the growth spurts before I eat us out of house and home.” At least the construction work over the summer had meant he’d also managed to balance it out with some muscle instead of just getting lankier.

“So you’ve been eating all summer. What else?”

“Aw, you don’t wanna hear about my summer,” Babe says. “It was all the same shit we do every summer, just without you. I got burned every time I was outside for more than five minutes, Bill is a pain in the ass, running into teachers at the pool is still the most incredibly awkward experience known to mankind. I wanna hear about Alabama.”

“Not as exciting as you seem to think,” Julian says. “My grandparents fed me a lot, that’s their main interest honestly, but they live out in the sticks so there’s nothing to do and my cousins are all either so much younger or so much older that they’re boring.”

“Hey my summer was mostly just food and cousins as well,” Babe comments. “Except with work too, so I think you still come out on top.”

“I’d rather have been here,” Julian admits. “I mean, I love my family but...”

 _‘But you love me more,’_ Babe might have joked another time, but the words catch in his throat and instead he just punches Julian in the arm and says, “Well you’re here now. Ready for your first day as a senior?”

Julian laughs. “Ready as we’ll ever be.”

*

On Thursday, Babe has his first track practise of the year. It’s all pretty boring, fitness drills and the joyous experience of the bleep test to check who has been keeping up with their conditioning over the summer. Babe hadn’t, but physical work seems to have paid off since he’s one of those who struggles least - not that the coach is happy with any of them, but then, he never is.

As soon as practise is over he cuts out. Several of the guys clamour around the coach to talk about nutrition plans and workout regimens but Babe has no interest in that. He’d gone from a clutzy kid to being pretty good at running once he learned how to keep his shoes tied, but he was never going to be a star of the team and in truth he’d only signed up for track because it counted as a gym credit and enabled him to avoid the horrors of dodge-ball and similar experiences in regular P.E class.

He swings by the locker room to change from spikes to normal sneakers, but he doesn’t bother showering or changing back into street clothes. He can do that when they get back to Julian’s place, where the hot water is reliable and there’s no questionable stains on the shower curtain.

Julian is waiting where he always waits. He's tapping his foot impatiently but stops when he sees Babe.

 "Oh," he says, then, "Your growth spurt really did come on fast."

 Babe frowns. "Huh?" He hasn't suddenly got taller in the two hours since he last saw Julian.

"You've had all summer off," Julian says as he waves in Babe's direction, "So it must have hit you fast if you've not had chance to get new shorts."

Babe looks down at his shorts. They're comfy enough and there are no tears he can see. "What's wrong with my shorts?" They are new, he'd got them just last month and they were one of the only items of clothing he had which did fit properly since the growth spurt.

"Well they're a bit um..." Julian glances down and then rapidly up and away, "...small?"

Babe tugs as them, then realises the source of Julian's confusion. They were fitted running shorts, cut tighter and with less length in the leg, a style he'd never bothered with before, but his coach had recommended them at the end of the previous term to prepare for the more serious senior events. "Nah, they're fine. They're supposed to be, just like cycling shorts. This way there's less extra fabric flapping about and I'm more streamlined."

There is a long pause while Julian appears to examine the shorts before he says, "Right, streamlined... of course. I see they really did a good job of removing as much fabric as possible." He thrusts his hands deep into his pockets.

“Are you cold?” Babe says, in surprise.

"What? Oh." Julian frowns, and then seems to become aware of how he's hunching in on himself. “Some of us haven’t been running around for an hour to keep warm,” he grumbles.

Babe unloops his track hoodie from where it’s tied to his backpack and tosses it in Julian’s direction.“Here.”

Julian flails to catch it, holding it awkwardly out in front of him for a moment then says, “Are you sure?”

“What, like you’ve never stolen my shit before?” Babe laughs. “Better that than you standing around freezing your ass off.”

“Right, right,” Julian says, tugging it over his head. “Wow, this is really soft inside, maybe I should have gone out for track.”

“You hate running,” Babe reminds him, but Julian just hums, pressing his face into the hoodie’s neck.

Babe wheels his bike rather than riding as they make their way out of the gate. Julian only lives two blocks from the school so it’s hardly worth the effort of mounting. As he walks he finds himself glancing sideways, looking at the way his hoodie sits on Julian. When Julian falls ahead by a few paces he can see his name spread across Julian’s shoulders and it makes his stomach tighten until he picks up his own speed and they pull level again. It’s a little broad across his shoulders, overhanging so that the sleeves sit oddly, cuffed wrists settling halfway down his hands in a way that makes Babe want to lean over and roll them up, and maybe not let go of Julian’s hands after.

Instead he takes a deep breath and starts to ask Julian every question he can think of about their physics class and the homework assignment they’ll be doing when they get to Julian’s. Physics ought to be enough to kill the fluttering in his chest dead, but instead it only subsides.

*

Over the next few weeks Julian’s tan mostly fades but, despite Babe’s hopes, the newfound awareness of how attractive he’s become hasn’t faded with it. He catches himself spacing out a lot in history class, staring at the back of Julian's head and thinking about how soft his hair looks; and Julian keeps kicking his ass at Mario Kart because they'll be halfway through a game and Babe will find himself studying the way that Julian's pale fingers wrap around the controller and end up driving right off the edge of the road.

It's driving him mad and he needs to do something but he doesn't know what. He considers his options.  If he talks to Bill he’ll have to have to deal with endless mockery, but he can't deal with this on his own and Bill, once he's finished talking shit, will surely have an idea.

He calls.

“What’s up?” Bill answers, “I’m in the dining hall and it’s hella loud in here so speak up.”

Babe swallows, but delaying won’t help him any. “I think I have a crush on Julian!” he blurts out.

There's a long pause.

Bill bursts out laughing.

Babe gives him a minute to get it out of his system.

And then another.

When Bill gives no sign of getting ahold of himself he says, “You know, it’s not _that_ funny.”

“I... This is just too good,” Bill sputters. “Are you telling me you only just noticed yourself looking at him like he hung the moon and sulking if you’re apart for more than twenty four hours? Because Babe, everyone knew.”

“Oh fuck off,” Babe says. “That’s just regular liking-” Bill snorts but Babe ignores that, “-but he came back from Alabama _hot_.”

For a moment, Bill is miraculously quiet. “Fuck,” he says, “You don’t have a crush, you want to jump his bones.”

“No,” Babe groans, “No. No, no, no.”

But Bill isn’t listening. “You think his body is _fine~_ ” he continues, “Honestly, I can’t picture that, but you do you kid. You wanna get dirty w-”

Babe tosses the phone across the room and makes a valiant attempt at smothering himself with a pillow. When he’s done he gets up and fetches his phone back. Bill is still talking.

“-have his babies and-”

“Bill,” Babe says firmly, “Shut the fuck up.”

Surprisingly, Bill does.

“Seriously, I need your help,” Babe confesses. “Sooner or later he’s gonna catch me staring at him and get uncomfortable and then it’ll just be awful. How do I make it stop?”

“Stop?” Bill says. “Why do you wanna make it stop?”

“Because it’ll be awful and weird,” Babe repeats. “This is Julian. I can’t just avoid him when he rejects me, therefore, I have to not put him in a position to need to reject me in the first place.”

“Reject you?” Bill sounds incredulous. “Julian’s not gonna reject you. If you asked him to, I don’t know, found a goddamn mars colony with, you he’d write an apology letter to his mom for leaving and then be right there with you.”

“I’d ask you if you know something I don’t,” Babe says, because Bill and Julian are sort of friends even when he’s not being the link between them, “But I don’t have time for your weird fantasies right now. The jokes about being childhood sweethearts were funny before, but this... he’s my _best friend_ Bill. Just like how you’re my brother. I can’t risk things.”

There’s a long pause, and then Bill sighs. “Fuck,” he says, “Okay, keep it from him if that’s what you want. But if you think I’m about to tell you some miracle cure for feelings, I’ve got some bad news for you kid...”

In truth, Babe hadn’t expected a magic solution. He’s just wanted to vent. “No hope?”

“You’re just gonna have to ride it out. Now I’ve gotta go, trouble is coming,” he says, “But... uh, good luck with your feelings.”

“Thanks,” Babe says weakly, then goes back to attempting to smother himself with his pillow.

*

Math is the worst and Babe would have flunked himself behind a grade, or at least into summer school, years ago were it not for Julian’s patient guidance.

Julian is in AP but he never makes Babe feel stupid even when Babe is looking at his own work and can tell it makes no sense.

They’re two thirds of the way through Babe’s homework, Julian finished his half an hour ago and has been helping Babe ever since, but now he’s gone downstairs to get them both something to drink, which Babe can’t help but think is an omen of just how much longer they’re going to working at it.

He knows Julian would tell him to do the sum in his head, but there’s nothing in the instructions that says he can’t use a calculator for the numbers, just that he has to apply the formula accurately. He reaches over to grab it, but his elbow knocks against the lamp and in his attempts to stop that from falling he nudges a folder off the desk, papers spilling everywhere.

“Shit,” he says, sliding off the chair to pick them back up.

He starts stacking them, just trying to hastily get them back into some sort of heap so that they can go back on the desk, he’s not even going to try and work out if Julian has an organisation system, when a particular sheet catches his eye.

“Oh.”

 ****

It’s clearly been crumpled once or twice, now torn at the edges and ringed with a coffee stain, suggesting that it’s left out before, not just stuffed in a box somewhere and recently unearthed.

He might have laughed every time it was mentioned, but that note, the silly little thing that Bill had scribbled up to make Julian talk to him, has always been important. It was the beginning of their friendship, after all.

Now, as Babe runs his fingers over the crayon hearts, it makes his own heart skip a beat.

Perhaps it’s just nostalgia that has put it on Julian’s desk, but Babe can’t help but think that it feels like a sign. Bill had spoke up for Babe's feelings once, perhaps not truthful with his facts but accurate with the spirit of it, and Julian had paid attention. Maybe it is time for him to be a little braver.

Before he can think about making a decision he hears footsteps on the stairs, and hurriedly gathers up the rest of the papers but he makes sure that the note placed carefully in the centre of the stack where it should be protected from further wear and tear.

When Julian hip checks the door back open, glass in each hand, Babe honestly means to admit what he’s found. He doesn’t know what it means that Julian hadn’t thrown the silly note away years ago, but he’s fairly sure that Julian didn’t mean for him to see it, he ought to know that his privacy has been compromised, even though Babe had always figured there were no real secrets between them. Or at least, there hadn’t been until he’d gone and developed all these inappropriate feelings. Then again, maybe it’s best that Julian is spared Babe’s awkward attempts and bringing it open and that Babe spares himself from the mess of potential pitfalls that any attempt to talk about him having a crush on Julian would be. After all, it might mean nothing and then Babe will have fucked things up.

In the end, Julian says nothing about the fact the folder has moved and Babe lets it lie.

*

They're in Babe's living room with the house to themselves for once, Babe's parents still at work and his siblings all with friends or at various after school activities, when Julian betrays him.

"C'mon, it's the Godfather," Julian whines, when Babe tells him so. "It's a classic."

It's not even that Babe doesn't like it, just that he's seen that movie a million times before - twice with Bill over the summer. " _Anything_ else," Babe protests but Julian shakes his head. Unwilling to give up just yet, Babe leans over and makes a grab for the DVD and Julian nearly falls over the arm of the couch as he leans back to keep it out of his reach.

"No way," Julian says, lunging for the DVD player, and Babe grabs him around the waist half tackling him to the floor.

"Yes way!" he replies, trying to stop Julian from flailing long enough to get the DVD out of his hands. He wraps an arm around Julian's neck to get him in a headlock but Julian jabs his elbow into Babe's ribs and ducks out of it, grabbing Babe by the collar of his shirt and pulling him down and rolling on top of him.

Somewhere in the process Julian's dropped the DVD and Babe's lost track of it, but that's not really what it's about now - just winning. He arches his back, trying to throw Julian off balance enough that he can roll them over, finally manages to get him on his side and they both wrestle ineffectually for a few minutes, neither of them managing a real hold until Julian sneezes and momentarily looses focus, for just long enough that Babe can shove one of his arms above his head to pin it in place.

He pushes up, about to claim his victory and then he freezes, becoming aware of how Julian looks splayed beneath him.

Julian’s shirt has bunched up under his ribs to bare his flat stomach as it rises as falls in time with his rapid breathing, and the sprinkling of dark hair that disappears below his waistband. His face has gone pink and his hair is mussed from the failed headlock and his knee is pressed between Babe's legs as he tries to fight off the hold, the angle all wrong for him to get enough force behind it to hurt, but just right for Babe to realise with dawning horror that he's been unconsciously pushing back into the touch instead of trying to fight Julian off.

He swears and leaps off Julian, rolling away.

"Babe?" Julian asks, sitting up.

“I just ah... stitch! I have a stitch,” he lies, curling over himself in order to hide the fact his pants suddenly feel a lot tighter than they did when he was sat on the couch

"Are you alright?" Julian asks, reaching out for him, but Babe shrugs him away.

"Fine, I'm fine, just gimme a minute," Babe says, then adds, "You win," and Julian looks at him oddly, which is only fair since Babe knows he's never normally that quick to surrender, but right now he has bigger problems.  _Oh god_ does he have bigger problems.

Still, telling Julian he's won distracts him as he reclaims his DVD and the climbs back onto the couch. He gestures for Babe to join him but Babe shakes his head. "I'm comfy here," he insists as he keeps breathing slow and deep, tucking his knees up to his chest and hoping it looks casual as he tries desperately hard to think of anything other than Julian pinned underneath him while ignoring the voice in his head that sounds like Bill singing ' _You waaaant him...~_ ' over and over.

It's for the best that he's seen the movie before because they're twenty minutes in before he manages to absorb a thing that's happening on screen.

*

Babe tries to keep things normal, he really does. He picks his clothes out of the pile that lives on his floor and fights the temptation to style his hair more than usual when he's seeing Julian because that's pretty much everyday and putting all that effort into his appearance would definitely make people suspicious. He still gives Julian rides places, even though the tight grip Julian keeps on his shoulders when he's balancing on the pegs of Babe's bike and the way he presses his chest up against Babe's back and talks right in his ear to avoid shouting over the sounds of the street noise and the wind make Babe's heart go weird and leaves him worried that one of these days Julian is gonna distract him so bad he steers him both right into a wall.

He wishes he could say his efforts pay off, but the next week he has not just math homework but chemistry homework that is just full of equations that make Babe’s head hurt no matter how easily he grasps the theory. In the end it’s late by the time they finish, not helped by the hour long xbox break they took halfway through when Julian claimed he was worried about steam coming out of Babe’s ears from working too hard. Julian suggests Babe stays and that is a perfectly normal proposal, they’ve shared beds at least a hundred times when crashing at each other’s places. How should Julian know that Babe’s feelings have changed? But that just makes it worse because it means that Babe has no option but to accept or risk Julian calling him out on acting strangely.

He still puts it off for as long as possible, hoping that if they stay up late enough playing video games and watching internet videos they might just fall asleep where they sit and then the only thing Babe will have to worry about is backache. Alas, Julian, while prone to being lead astray on weekends, is generally well behaved on school nights and only lets Babe get away with so many distractions before he insists that it's time for them to both go to bed, "Because I'm not gonna be nice to you in the morning if you refuse to get out of bed because I let you talk me into us staying up till three.

They both brush their teeth huddled around the sink in Julian's bathroom and then Babe heads back into the bedroom while Julian finishes up.

He strips down to his boxers, because Julian likes it hot in his room, though he breaks form and keeps his t-shirt on though he normally sleeps without it, and then gets into bed, settling as close to the edge as he can get without risking falling. He thanks god for the small mercy of Julian's love of being warm because it means that Julian is wearing real pyjamas when he comes into the bedroom. Babe's not sure he could cope with bare skin. He joins Babe in bed like he has done a dozen times before, no messing about with pillow barriers or sheets between them because sharing each other's space has never been an issue before but as soon as Julian lays down beside him Babe feels like every nerve ending he has is on fire.

Julian is _so_ close, Babe can feel the heat radiating off of him and hear every breath. He can’t relax for fear of bumping up against Julian, doesn’t know what he’ll do if he shifts slightly and brushes against him or if Julian’s t-shirt rides up in his sleep and Babe finds himself once again faced with the torturous sight of Julian's abs. It’s impossible to settle, he feels almost feverish, wants to get up and at the very least open a window but then Julian would be uncomfortable.

He lays like that for a very long time.

He doesn't remember falling asleep but it must have happened eventually because he wakes with a jolt to movement behind him and a sudden loss of heat. At some point in the night he’s shifted onto his side, and he rolls back to look over his shoulder at Julian who is sitting bolt upright and breathing heavily. The bed is warmer the nearer he gets to Julian, so even once he can see he rolls a little further until he hits Julian's side.

“Y’okay?” he mumbles. Julian used to get nightmares as a kid, he remembers, but those had stopped years ago.

“Y-yeah, sorry,” Julian says, waving him off, “I just... bathroom.” He scrambles out of the bed, almost slamming the door behind him in his haste to leave, which is kind of weird but Babe’s eyelids are feeling so heavy.

There’s a little bit of light seeping in through the gaps in the blinds, but not enough for it to be an sensible time to wake up, so Babe rolls back until his face his buried in the pillow, tugging the blankets around him to ward off the sudden chill, and goes back to sleep.

When he wakes for real, the disturbance is just a weird gap in his dreams.

*

It’s a lunch period when it happens. Babe can’t find his track hoodie, so he’s wearing a regular one that isn’t nearly as cosy, and it’s raining so he and Julian have staked out a spot on the stairs in the art department where they can eat their lunch and be dry while avoiding the chaos of the now overcrowded cafeteria. None of the teachers mind as long as they don’t make too much noise and clear up when they go.

He leans back, finishing off the last of his sandwich, when his eyes land on the signs plastering the wall reminding them that it was only one week until homecoming, and that they were required to buy tickets in advance.

“Hey Julian, who are you taking to homecoming?” he asks. He’s curious, because he hasn’t heard news of Julian asking anybody and Julian always gets a date to dances, even though every year Babe suggests he skip the fuss and go stag for a more casual good time. He said once that he kind of found the formality of it fun, like playing pretend again.

Julian shrugs. “Well, I haven’t asked anybody yet...”

“You’re cutting it a bit close,” Babe says, eyebrows raised. “Most people have have dates and plans already.

“I know,” Julian says, pouring the last of his m&m’s into his hand. “But I only need one date, not most people.”

“I know _that_ , you know what I mean. Hey, you could always ask Renee,” he suggests.

“Nah,” Julian says, “Renee is going with Gene - I mean, he hasn’t asked her, but she has plans.” Oh, of course he would have thought of her already, Babe realises, Julian probably has a whole list of potential dates. “Anyway, I don’t want to go with Renee. She’s a good friend, but this is gonna be our last homecoming. It should be special.”

“I guess,” Babe says, although he thinks that Julian has left things a little late for that.

Julian tosses his wrapper in the trash. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m not bothered, you know I’ve always gone stag to these things before,” Babe says. He’d had a girlfriend for six whole weeks last spring, mostly because she’d caught him by surprise when she asked him to the movies, but there’s never been somebody he liked enough during homecoming or prom season to want to ask before now, and he’d felt stupid about asking somebody just for the sake of having a date. “I might try and pick up Bill’s mantle as official punch spiker, but I don’t know how I’d get supplies - Bill always got his brothers to hook him up.”

“No, I mean, ah... do you...” Julian looks a little awkward. “Do you want to go to the dance with me?”

Babe, who was in the process of opening his soda, sprays himself in the face. “Fuck! I... ah... hang on!” he blurts out, trying to deal with the cola now spilling over the edge of the can and soaking his hands. He uses the edge of his shirt to soak up the moisture, even though he knows it’s gonna dry out uncomfortably sticky. On the other hand, it does buy him a few moments to try and make sense of what Julian has just said. He seems to have gone from wanting a date one minute, after all he said he didn’t want to go with Renee as a friend, to suggesting keeping it casual and hanging out with Babe instead.

Unless... no, Julian couldn’t actually be asking Babe to be his homecoming date, unless he meant that it would make for a funny joke or something.

“Well I’d be disappointed if you’d been planning on avoiding me all night,” he blusters. “We’ve always hung out at these things before.”

“Not to hang out,” Julian says. “C’mon, we’re seniors now. Haven’t you ever wanted to do it properly?”

Babe’s thought about it, but it had always seemed a little awkward to him, all that dressing up and slow dancing, the awkward romance of a bunch of high school students who all knew deep down that they were trying way too hard to act grown up just to impress each other. Anyway, there’d never been anybody he wanted to go with, until Julian. “I guess I could try it properly, just this once. And only because it’s you asking,” which, whoops, _way_ too honest he thinks. “I mean, um, y’know just, it’ll be fun!”

He’s such a disaster.

Fortunately Julian is used to it, just laughs, bumping his shoulder gently against Babe’s. He’s done it a thousand times before, but something about it feels different now, the touch a little softer, a little more lingering.

Or maybe that’s just Babe’s wishful thinking.

*

When he gets home he flops down onto his bed, looking at the mess of clothes that flows between his laundry basket, his drawers, and the all important floordrobe and curses. Homecoming is formal, and he was planning on just throwing something together on the night, but if he’s going with Julian he’s actually going to have to look good. If he’s going with Julian he’s gonna need to up his game in a lot of ways.

There’s only one thing to do.

He texts Bill.

 

 

bill  
  
**Babe:** HELP!  
  
**Bill:**??????  
  
**Babe:** julian asked me to homecoming  
  
**Bill:** called it!!!  
  
**Bill:** is his gonna buy you a corsage  
  
**Bill:** is he gonna pick you up at your door so your mom can send me photos  
  
**Bill:** wait julian can’t dirve  
  
**Bill:** shit  
  
**Babe:** okay nevermind  
  
**Babe:** don’t want your help anymore  
  
**Bill:** too late motherfucker  
  
**Bill:** what night is your homecoming again?  
  
**Bill:** I feel like i should drive back so i can ask him about his intentions with you  
  
**Babe:** You’ve known him since he was SEVEN  
  
**Babe:** And I’m not even sure it’s like that  
  
**Bill:** not sure??????  
  
**Bill:** how can you not be sure?

 

Babe is just typing out a reply when his phone starts to vibrate in his hand, Bill’s contact image appearing on screen. He hesitates, but he knows if he declines the call Bill will just fill his inbox until Babe gives in.

“Babe and Julian, sittin’ in a tr~”

He disconnects the call.

There’s a full thirty seconds of silence that manages to be sulky despite the fact that Bill’s not even there.

The phone rings again.

“That was rude,” Bill says. “I should tell your mother.”

Babe laughs. “We both know that if it comes down to tattling you aren’t going to win,” Babe has _so much_ dirt on Bill, it’s unbelievable.

“Whatever, spill,” Bill says. “C’mon, I want details. Was there a promposal? Well, no, it’s homecoming, but homecomingprosal sounds completely stupid... you know what I mean.”

“No,” Babe says. “He just asked me.”

“Okay, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to be unsure about in that,” Bill says slowly, like he thinks Babe’s a dumbass. It’s a very familiar tone.

“Well I tagged along with you and your friends to homecoming when I was a freshman,” Babe points out. “There's a difference between going together and _going together_.”

“Urgh, I'm so glad I'm not a teenager any more,” Bill sighs.

“You're not that old,” Babe points out, but Bill just groans theatrically.

“Whatever,” he remarks. “Surely you call tell the difference between him asking you out and asking you to hang out?”

“I don’t know,” Babe complains. “I want him to mean it, but c’mon, it’s Julian...”

Bill hums. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s just so nice and smart and great, everybody likes him even though he always hangs out with assholes like us. And he got hot over the summer,” Babe points out. “He could have asked practically anyone. And he’s seen me do so much embarrassing shit. He’s gotta just mean it like he’s asking me because he wants me to come and take the dance seriously for once, right? I mean, what are the chances of him actually wanting me as a date?”

“He’s the same dumbass kid who’s been stuck to you like glue pretty much since you met. The one who you’ve been in about a million detentions with, who got chicken pox in eighth grade because he snuck in your bedroom window to keep you company when you were quarantined; and who broke his arm two years ago trying to impress you with skateboard tricks - and don’t argue, the kid was doing just fine pulling them off until you turned up and he got all distracted,” Bill says, “And I’m still not convinced by this whole ‘got hot over the summer’ thing, but y’know puberty caught up with you too - you’re not a total monstrosity.”

“Gee thanks,” Babe says. “Not a total monstrosity, that’s exactly what a guy wants to hear.”

“The point is, I don’t know where you’ve suddenly got this idea that he’s not at least as much of a dork as you are,” Bill says, “So just man up and put some moves on him at the dance. I assume you’ve got moves?”

Babe has, at least in theory. He’s not sure of their effectiveness, but honestly there are some things he just isn’t getting into with Bill. “I’ve got moves,” he says, optimistically. The thought of attempting them with Julian terrifies him - what if he makes it _weird_ between them? - but he kind of has too now or Bill will call him out for being chicken. And although it’s a slim chance, there is always the possibility that Julian did mean to ask Babe out, and Babe is hardly gonna risk blowing that off. “I don’t have anything to wear though.”

“Take a selfie,” Bill says.

Babe blinks, not sure how that relates to his wardrobe problem. “What?”

“Selfie,” Bill demands. “Whole upper body. This needs an expert opinion and I don’t have any photos of you on my phone.”

Babe shrugs,  holding the phone away from him and taking a hurried snap that he messages to Bill. It’s quiet on the other end of the line for a few minutes, and Babe hopes that the several muffled voices he hears are unrelated to whatever expert opinion Bill is consulting. Finally, Bill returns. “You got a green shirt?” he asks.

Babe has, and it’s a pretty nice one, one that his mom had picked out for a cousin’s wedding last spring. “Yeah?”

“Wear that,” Bill says. “Green is your colour.”

Babe has a colour? Who knew? He’s pretty sure the answer isn’t Bill. “I don’t wanna know who you asked to get that opinion do I?”

“Democracy is the backbone of our society,” is Bill’s slightly worrying reply. But if his mom and Bill’s voters agree, then that’s good enough for Babe.

He’s doing this.

*

The week seems pass at least twice as fast as a regular week. Babe has never cared before about the football games or pep rallies, but now each one is an omen up the upcoming dance and feeds the butterflies in his stomach.

He can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to slow dance with Julian, instead of the fast and silly quick-steps they’ve done in the past. They’d be so close. Close enough to kiss. It’s something that’s happened between them a few times before - if you go to enough of the same parties with a person then spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven was bound to make that sort of thing happen sometimes, but it had only ever felt like a joke, something fleeting and casual that they could laugh about together because they were friends. Babe isn’t supposed to be looking at Julian’s lips like he is now, remembering how soft they are and wondering what it would be like to kiss him properly, slow and lingering and maybe even with a bit of tongue if Julian was up for that.

It’s a good thing that the teachers are aware that most of their students are distracted during homecoming week because Babe can’t focus on anything but what’s coming. In the classes he shares with Julian he finds himself staring at the back of Julian’s head whenever he’s sitting in front of Babe, or else watching him out of the corner of his eye. It’s no better when he’s not there, if anything it’s worse because Babe can let his imagination run away with him without any risk of Julian turning around and looking him in the eye.

Finally, the fateful day arrives.

Tonight he finds out once and for all if Julian had asked him as a date or just for the company. His heart is pinned on the first, his head says the latter, but deep down in his gut he knows the real concern is making sure that whatever happens he doesn’t let his dumb crush impact their friendship.

He spends most of the morning helping his mom out around the house just to keep himself distracted, but by mid-afternoon he can tell he’s been more of a hindrance and so he takes himself upstairs to get ready. He takes possibly the longest shower of his life, even with the window open the whole bathroom is filled up with steam by the time he gets out, and then ends up pacing his room in a towel for at least ten minutes while he second guesses every life choice he’s made to bring himself to this point.

Finally, after putting on the shirt Bill suggested, taking it off, putting it back on again, going downstairs and getting a second opinion from his mom who is so enthusiastic he nearly takes it back off again, plus spending so much time in front of his mirror that he’s sick of his own face, he’s ready.

He goes to the door, then doubles back, taking one last look in the mirror and smoothing his hair down for the dozenth time.

He looks okay, he thinks. He’s never gonna be a model or a film star, but Bill was right and the green shirt suits him and he’s used a YouTube tutorial to put a fancy looking knot in his tie. It’s a little annoying that his trousers currently stop about an inch above his ankle and therefore look ridiculous, but his mom had said she wasn’t to buy him any more until she was sure that the latest growth spurt had stopped and he’d fit in his clothes for more than two months. Hopefully the black socks will make that hard to notice though – after all the lights will be dim once they’re in the dance.

They’d planned to meet there, which is a point against it being a date, but then again, Julian can’t drive and Babe doesn’t have a car so what else are they supposed to do? His mom gives him a ride in, because if Julian is for real he doesn't want to ruin it by showing up all sweaty from riding his bike - he makes her drop him a street away from the school gate though, to prevent her doing anything embarrassing. She’s far too excited about this whole thing, complaining about how unfortunate it was that she wasn’t going to be able to get pictures of him and Julian together and, as they pull up, she says, “Oh well, we can do things more formally for prom.”

Babe gets out fast. He’s still gotta get through tonight while not being sure of Julian’s intentions, even thinking ahead to prom makes him queasy. “Thanks mom,” he says, as he slams the door behind him. “Bye mom.”

He power walks away, he’ll risk a bit of sweat if it means escape.

It’s a little early when get gets to the doors, they said they’d meet at the door at seven, and he doesn’t mind waiting. It’s a chance to catch up with his friends and their dates as other people turn up and head on in, and if a few of them smirk when he mentioned it’s Julian he’s waiting for - well Bill has been a bad influence on a lot of people.

At five past, he loosens his tie a little. At quarter past, he unfastens the collar of his shirt and runs his hands through his hair without caring if it ruins all of his earlier careful styling.

He tries to be patient, he knows from long experience that Julian isn’t always great at punctuality, especially since he’s dependant on others for his transport, but when the minute hands edges into a vertical position he feels a drop of moisture on his face, and then another. It’s been grey all day, and it seems that it’s time for the clouds to spill. Babe sighs and heads inside, he was getting sick of the pitying looks from the two teachers collecting tickets anyway. If Julian does show up, he’ll just have to look for Babe.

He sticks to the edge of the room, as far as possible from where people are dancing, and does his best to restrain himself from scowling at the couples because it’s not their fault if Julian has blown him off and he’s bitter. If Bill were here he could at least rely on the punch being spiked, but instead all he’s got is misery to wallow in. The only thing that could possibly be worse than sticking around at the dance alone would be going home and his family knowing he got stood up.

He’s looking out across the crowds, wondering who is his best chance of scoring some illicit beverages is now that all the upperclassmen he’d previously relied upon have graduated, when he hears his name being shouted across the gymnasium. Renee rushes up to him. She looks nice, in a light blue dress and simple flats, but the expression on her face doesn’t suit homecoming at all. She looks frightened.

“Babe!” she calls again, grabbing him by the sleeve. “Oh thank goodness I found you, Babe, it’s Julian, he… there’s been an accident.”

Babe’s stomach drops right down to his shoes. The words alone might not be a cause for concern, Julian gets into his fair share of trouble just like the rest of them, but Renee’s tone suggests something far more serious than their usual brand of mischief.

“I didn’t see, I went to Anna’s to get ready, but his parents asked my parents to watch his sisters and my parents called me,” Julian and Renee are neighbours, Babe remembers, part of how they’d stayed such close friends all these years. “I... they say he was crossing the street, apparently the car came out of nowhere-” Babe swallows, he’s been bumped by a car before, it had freaked his mom out but he’d been fine, perhaps that’s all this is, but then Renee adds, “It was fast... my parents, they wouldn’t give me the details, but Babe, I think this is serious.”

“I...” there are so many thoughts flooding Babe’s mind but one is more important than the rest. “Which hospital?” he asks.

“General, I think,” Renee says. “Why do you- oh!”

Babe is already halfway across the room. He needs to be with Julian. The rain is coming down hard now but he barely notices it as he jogs across the yard.

“Fuck,” _fuck_ , he doesn’t have his own cell on him. He could go all the way home and hope his mom would drive him to the hospital, but it’s a good twenty minute run in the wrong direction, he gets to the gates and stops, uncertain of how to proceed, but Renee catches up and tugs him along - right, and away from Babe’s house.

“What, where are we-?”

“My brother has a bicycle,” Renee says, “C’mon, it’s not far.”

Babe knows the route, he’s walked to Julian’s at least a thousand times after all, and Renee has her keys out and ready by the time they reach the garage door.

“Voilà,” she says, “My brother’s bike is on the left.”

Babe grabs it. The frame is a little small for someone of his height and the seat is far too low, but he’s not planning on a leisurely ride. There’s another bike leaning against the wall but Renee makes no move towards it. “Aren’t you coming?” he asks. He’s impatient, but he could wait a moment for her to change out of her damp dress into something she could ride in, after all, she’s Julian’s friend too.

Renee shakes her head. “My parents asked me to join them next door,” she explains, “Julian’s parents will telephone when they know more.”

Babe nods. Renee wants to get any information right away, that makes sense, but Babe knows that no voice on the phone telling him news -good or bad- will bring him any peace, he has to see for himself.

He swings a leg over the bike and pushes off, wobbles a little as he gets used to the balance, but then he’s away, racing down the driveway and out onto the street.

“Ride safe!” Renee calls after him, but it’s already hard to hear with the wind and rain whipping in his ears.

He rides hard, pedaling faster than he’s ever gone in his life. Time is meaningless, his progress judged by counting off familiar streets and junctions, everything between them a blur. His tie is flapping in his face and he swerves in and out of the evening traffic without a care for the chorus of honking that follows him as he comes within inches of clipping bumpers and wing mirrors. He can barely see the road ahead for rain, it keeps clinging to his lashes and clouding his vision, he tastes salt on his lips and blinks furiously. Passing a truck on the inside, he’s skids through a puddle and is splashed up both sides, road grit stinging against his hands. He’s navigating by a mix of instinct and memory, never more grateful for how well he knows his city, until he sees the sprawling white and grey form of their local emergency room looming ahead.

He cuts the corner into the parking lot then squeezes the brakes tight, rear wheel bouncing a little with the suddenness of his deceleration. He doesn’t bother chaining the bike up, just tosses it to the verge and makes towards the doors. If it gets stolen he’ll just had to give Renee’s brother his as a replacement or something.

The bright lights of the entrance dazzle him a little and as soon as he steps into the lobby he becomes aware of how sodden he is. He scrubs his hands through his hair and then squeezes at patches of his shirt, hoping to wring enough water out that he doesn’t leave a dripping trail behind him, but after a few seconds of only seeming to move the moisture around he gives up.

Nobody pays him any attention as he walks over to join the line for the information desk. He tries to rehearse what he’s going to say in his head, he’s only ever been in hospitals with somebody else handling the official side of things before, doesn’t know what to say to get them to give him the information he needs, but the only thing that’s running through his head is the thought of Julian.

When he finally reaches the front the first thing he blurts out is Julian’s name, then he stops, shakes his head and tries to remember that he’s almost an adult. “John Julian. I-I’m here to see John Julian, he was brought earlier after getting knocked down, but I don’t know where he is, I... I...” he’s trying to think of some way to justify himself, dripping all over their shiny clean floors, and now without the excuse of rain to justify the wet trails flowing down his face.

The attendant seems unbothered, looking down at her computer and typing lighting fast, then saying, “Fourth floor, recovery ward B. It’s signposted.”

Babe blinks at her, words dying in his mouth, then splutters out a hasty thanks as he makes his way towards the stairs, jogging up all for flights.

She was right, it is signposted and easy enough to find. When he arrives at the door to ward B he takes a deep breath, scrubbing his hands over his face before walking in.

The first thing he sees is that he’s actually entered another waiting area, off of which there are several private rooms. The second thing he sees are Julian’s parents.

“Mr. and Mrs. Julian?” he says. Normally he isn’t quite so formal with them, but the severe looks they’re wearing make him nervous.

The turn and stare at him and for a moment it seems like they don’t even recognise him, but then Julian’s mom says, “Oh, Edward,” having never quite seemed to grasp that calling him Babe wasn’t just a thing her son had made up on his own. “Oh, of course, you were Julian’s date.”

“Is he… is he…?” Babe pants.

“He’s going to be fine honey,” she says, although she sounds a little shaky. “The doctors were a little concerned about his head when they first brought him in though, so he’ll be staying overnight so they can keep an eye on things.”

Babe nods, if Julian has to be hurt then he definitely should be getting the doctor’s attention. “Can I see him?”

Julian mom bites her lip, exchanging a look with his dad and Babe fidgets in the awkward silence.

“Well… I’m sure he’d like to know you were worried for him,” Julian’s dad says finally, although Babe can’t imagine Julian not being able to guess that.

“He’s really not up to any excitement,” Julian’s mom says hesitantly.

Babe feels a spark of hope. “I’ll be quiet as a mouse,” he says, in his lowest indoor voice. He knows they still see him as a rambunctious seven-year-old but he can be whatever Julian needs right now. “He’ll hardly even know I’m there, I just want to see him… please.”

“Well, five minutes couldn’t hurt,” Julian’s dad says, “He’s still awake and we really need to get back to the younger two, since we left them with the neighbours when we heard the news.”

“Thank you,” Babe says, waiting for them to leave before he edges the door to the hospital room open, nervous of what he’ll see.

Julian looks small and pale tucked between the mint green hospital sheets. There’s an IV bag hanging by his side and an oxygen line under his nose, a few other tubes and cables running towards him that Babe doesn’t want to think too hard about. With the blanket pulled up to his shoulders Babe can’t see any injuries other than the beginning of a bruise on Julian’s forehead, but he knows that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

His eyes are shut and for a moment Babe wonders if he’s fallen asleep despite what his parents had said, wants to wake him but knows he needs to rest.

“Julian?” he whispers, so soft he can barely hear himself, but Julian’s eyes snap right open and he starts to struggle, like he’s trying to sit up.

“Hey, hey, no,” Babe says, rushing over to him, he thinks of grabbing Julian by the shoulders and pushing him back down onto the bed, but he doesn’t know the extent of Julian’s injuries and the last thing he wants to do is hurt him worse. “Just… just don’t move, just stay where you are, okay? You’ve gotta rest.”

For a second he doesn’t think Julian is listening, but then he slumps. “Babe,” he says, voice weak as he reaches out sideward. Babe follows the direction of his hand, realising what he’s reaching for – his jacket.

“What do you need?” Babe asks, grabbing it.

“Top right pocket,” Julian mumbles, and Babe fishes around in it until he pulls out a crumpled sheet of paper. He leans over to hand it to Julian but Julian waves it away. “’s for you…” he says, “was for tonight…”

Babe frowns, smoothing the paper and grimacing when he notices the splash of what looks like blood on one edge. Whatever Julian wanted to give him, surely it’s not important, not when Julian is _hurt_. Still, it seems like Julian won’t settle till he sees it, so he unfolds it, breath catching when he recognises it for what it is.

That old note, the one that Bill had written and had been a joke between them for so long before it had started to mean too much to Babe and stopped feeling funny anymore.

He feels his stomach knot at the thought of that silly little thing now being stained with Julian’s blood.

“This-” _old thing…_ he starts to say, but then he realises it’s not just the blood that’s new.

His eyes had slid right past it at first, the thin black line that’s been added since the last time he saw it. A check mark.

Yes, Julian has checked. Yes, he likes Babe. And in other circumstances Babe might take it as just another layer on the joke but for Julian to be thinking of it now… it matters.

“Julian?” he says, stepping over to the bed.

“I really wanted to go to homecoming with you, Babe,” Julian confesses, dark eyes wide and nervous. “Not ‘cause there was nobody else or ‘cause we’re buddies; just because you’re you...”

“Good,” Babe says shakily. “Good, me too. I mean, not the asking part, I didn’t ask you. I would have asked you though, if I’d thought you have said yes-”

“I would have,” Julian interrupts softly.

“-I’m glad you asked me, even if we didn’t actually get to. I mean, I even dressed up instead of making a joke of it,” Babe says, tugging at his wet clothes. “Not that you can tell now.”

“S’okay,” Julian says, starting to smile. “You always look good.”

“I like you too,” Babe blurts out, the point he’s been flailing towards. Julian’s smile splits across his face and Babe can’t help but be drawn in.

He’s shaking a little as he leans in, but Julian edges his hand across the bed until it curls around Babe’s fingers. He can feel Julian’s breath as he tilts his head to avoid knocking against the oxygen tube and licks his lips -

The door pushes open, and Babe turns his head at the last second to see a serious looking nurse entering. “What’s the prob-” she starts, then pauses, looking between Babe and Julian, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. “You know, you’re on a heart-rate monitor, honey,” she says to Julian, who turns a reassuringly healthy shade of pink. Then she looks at Babe with a frown, “He needs to rest.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Babe says, because he really doesn’t want to disrupt Julian’s recovery. “I... I just...”

Her expression softens. “I have three more rooms to check, kid,” she says, “But you’d best be out of here before I get back.”

“Yes ma’am,” Babe says. He waits until the door has swung shut, then turns back to Julian. As soon as their eyes meet, he breaks down in giggles, Julian’s mouth curving into a matching grin.

“Oh god,” Julian groans, audibly mortified.

“Your heart was racing,” Babe says, suddenly gleeful. Smiling and flushed Julian really does look like he’ll be okay again soon.

Julian swats at him weakly. “I bet if you were on a heart monitor it would have done the same.”

“Yeah,” Babe admits, hell, his heart is still beating fast. “It would, you make my heart go crazy. Fuck, I’d better go.”

“No,” Julian says, grabbing Babe’s hand.

“The nurse said...”

“I know what the nurse said,” Julian agrees, “But first...” he pulls at Babe’s hand, “...you were going to kiss me...”

Babe glances towards the door, even if the nurse is gone his still feels a little guilty about disrupting Julian’s rest. “I dunno... maybe we should wait until you’re out of hospital,” he says.

“C’mon, I missed everything else good about homecoming, don’t make me miss out on this too,” Julian pouts.  Just kiss me, Babe.”

“Alright, alright,” Babe says, because what else is his supposed to do when Julian’s making that face, “I’ll kiss you, you goof.”

And he does.

 


End file.
